Conveyer and transfer apparatus



Sept. 8, 1953 w. R. VINCENT CONVEYER AND TRANSFER APPARATUS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 25, 1948 Patented Sept. 8, 1953 CONVEYER ANDTRANSFER APPARATUS Walter R. Vincent, Hudson, Ohio, assignor to The .B.F. Goodrich Comp corporation of New York any, New York, N. Y., :0.

Application June 25, 1948, Serial No. 35,082

7 Claims. 1 This invention relates to conveyor apparatus and isespecially useful where it is desired to transfer work from one conveyorto another.

' .In the manufacture of articles where the articles are conveyed abouta manufacturing plant from one operation to another it has often beennecessary to remove the articles from the conveyor in order to performoperations thereon and then to return them to the conveyor, requiringconsiderable manual handling. At times it has been desirable to transferthe articles to an independent conveyor in order to treat the articlesprogressively at a different rate of traveLalso requiring manualhandling.

The present invention has for one of its objects to overcome theforegoing and other difliculties by providing automatic transfer of tharticles from one conveyor to another. h

Other objects are to provide for transfer of objects from a fast-movingconveyor to a slower conveyor, to transfer the objects from the slowerconveyor to the faster conveyor, to change the spacing of the objectsfrom one conveyor to another, to provide for shorter treatmentapparatus, to provide for handling sheet articles in closely spacedrelation, and to provide corrosion resistant treatment apparatus. q 1

These and other objects will appear from the following, description andthe accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus constructed in accordance withand embodying the invention, parts being broken away. V

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. r

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view,

5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the apparatus, parts being broken away.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral des-, ignates a monorail tracksupported by cross beams l2. A series of wheeled trollies I4 aresuspended therefrom and are connected together in spaced-apart relationby laterally bendable chains whereby they are propelled along the railID from left to right in Figs. 1 and 6. Each trolley I4 pivotallysupports a rod |6 mounted for swinging movement forwardly and rearwardlyof said rail l0 and also laterally thereof. as by a pair of pivotaljoints l8. I9 having crossed axes. Each rod [6 has a forwardly facinghook 2!].

taken on line Below the conveyor is a treatment chamber 25, for examplea spray booth having entrance 26 and exit 2'! door openings. Spray pipes28 are arranged within the booth for treating the articles 30.

For conducting the articles throughthe treatment chambers, an'endlessnarrow conveyor belt 3| is supported about guiding, and driving pulleys32, 33, 34, 35, rotatably mounted in bearings on a frame 36, so thatanu'pperreach thereof extends through the chamber 25 by Way of thedoorways 26, 21 and vertically parallel to portions of the rail lil. Forsupporting the upper reach of the belt, a rail'dl) ofcorrosion-resistant material is supported below the upper reach of thebelt 3| by the frame 36. The belt 3| may have a longitudinal groove 4|for engaging over a tongue 42 of the rail for guiding the upper reach ofthe belt. The belt is of rubber or other rubber-like material resistantto corrosive liquids and having a pair of endless tension-resistingmembers '43, preferably of wire cable. Provision, not shown, is made fortensioning and driving the belt at a speed slower than that of thetrolley conveyor, by means of a sprocket II on pu1ley33 and'a chain l3.

A series of transfer members 50 are provided. These are prefe'rably'madeof corrosion-resistant wire and are'formed at their upper ends eachwithla hook 5| for engaging a hook 20 of a rod I6, and a hook 52 at itslower end for engaging the article 30; Between these hooks an offsetportion 53 is formed by a reverse bend in the wire. The offset potrion53 is arranged to hang over the conveyor belt 3|."

As seen in Fig. 6, the rail I0 is of sinuous form having 'a straightstretch 55 directly over the con veyorbelt 3| between the pulley 32 andthe chamber 25, and a second straight stretch '56 over the belt 3|between tht chamber 25 and the pulley 33. Other parts of the rail areoffset to one side of the chamber and'pulleys to clear them. Now lookingat Fig. 1 the rail l0 has a-dip 5? within its reach 55 of such depththat as an article 30 is suspended on a transfer member 50, in turnsuspended by a rod l6 and trolley l4, approaches the dip 51 it will bemoved laterally until its offset 53 is over the belt 3| and innegotiating the dip 5'! the hook is lowered into engagement with thebelt 3|, and the hook 20 of rod I6 is disconnected therefrom. At thisposition a stationary cam in the path of rods l6 deflects the rod 6laterally as seen in Fig. 4 while, at the same time, the conveyorchain|5 carries the rod is laterally away from the transfer member 50.

, At the stretch56of the rail I0, a second clip BI is provided for againlowering the rods IE to a position such that engagement with the hook 50dimensions of the transfer member 50. A lifting device is providedforelevating the transfer by the rod It. For this purpose, an arm 62(see a double acting fluid pressure operated cylinder 64. The arm 62 islocated adjacenttheconveyor 9 it are be t e ranged to engage under atransfer member position where it will be engaged by the hook 2B of anoncoming rod IS. The cylinder 64 is opoverhead conveyor so as to lifteach time a rod I6 is over the arm 62. For this purpose a norarm 82 isarranged to energize a solenoid H1 operated four-way valve 69, thedelivery pipes lower ends of the cylinder respectively. spring tion todeliver fluid under pressure from a supply line 14 to the upper end ofthe cylinder through line 15. Upon arrival of a 'rq'd it above thelifter 62, the switch 68 is closed, reversing valve 59 and member 50 toan elevation where hook 20 engages under hook 5| to carry the article 35away.

spray chambers for treatment of articles such as metal panels withpi'cklinfg, cleaning, or coating resistant equipment for :u ch treatmentwhile from the treatment chambers. Variations may be made is possiblewithin the limit of lift provided by the member 5il at this position sothat it is engaged Fig. 5) is secured to the vertical piston rod '53 ofbelt 3| and extends thereunder. ltbas a pa ir of fingers B5, 66 one ateach passing thereover and to lift it off the belt to a erated insynchronism mally open limit switch fit located above this H, 12 ofwhich are connected to the upper and 13 on the valve normally holds thevalve in posithe pipe H and to connect line 12 to th exhaust raising thelifter, thereby raising the transfer The invention makes'porssible theuse of smaller materials and greatly simplifies the corrosioneliminatingmanual transfer of articles to and v vithc'ut departing from the scopeof the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

Iclaim: .r

l. Conveyor apparatus comprising a "chain propelled conveyor pav ndepending hooked member's, transfer members fs'uspenjdabl'e from saidhooked members for carrying arfticles, guide means engaged by saidhooked recting themalongfa devidus of straight reaches in alignment withYea a belt conveyor parallel to said 'reaches means for advancingsaidchain propelled conv y or at a speed in excess 'of 'thf speed fcjf saidbelt conveyor, said transfer member having offseit shouldr por tionsarranged to proiectove'r idjbelt ,conveyor at said reaches, means atthe'firs'tof said reaches for superimposing sad offset shoulder portionsupon said belt conveyor and laterally deflecting said hooked mernbersjtorelease said 'transfer members from said hooked rriembersgand means atthe second of said ref cues for mung said transfer members.rremengagemmt with 'said belt conveyor intone path of said hookedmembers for returning said transfer member's tos'aid chain conveyor.

2. Conveyor a p'aratus for treatiri'gfarticles, said apparatuscomprising a principal conveyor having depending many de es a leh'obk'dihmbers, transfer members suspended from said hooked conveyormembers for carrying articles,

a second conveyorcomprisingan acid-resistant rubber belt "arrangedtosupport sa 'id transfer members independent of the principal conveyor, arail of corrosion-resistant material for guidwith the travel "of'the'ing said belt, and means for shifting said transfer members insuccession from said principal conveyor to said second conveyor, saidmeans comprising means for guiding said principal conveyor into a reachclosely spaced from said second conveyor and superimposed therebver,said transfer members at said reach resting upon said second conveyorand clearing said hooked memb is of the principal conveyor for lateralswinging movement, and means for laterally deflecting said hookedmembers at said reach to release said transfer members from saidprincipal conveyor. 3 Conveyor apparatus comprising a principaltravelling conveyor having depending hook members swingable laterally ofthe conveyor, transfer members suspended from said hook members forconveying articles, a secondary conveyor arranged to support and advancetransfer members independent of the first said conveyor, the transfermembers being shaped to engage any portion ofthe secondary conveyoralong its length by at least partially encircling a portion of thelength of the secondary conveyor, means for continuously advancing saidsecondary conveyor, and transfer means for shifting said transfermembers in succession from said principal con"- veyor to said secondaryconveyor during move ment of both said conveyors, said transfer meanscomprising guiding means for directing said conveyors adjacent eachother to bring each transfer member successively into encirclingengage"- ment with a portion of the secondary conveyor, and means forlaterally deflecting said *ho'ok member to release each said transfermember from said principal conveyor as it engages its respective portionof the secondary conveyor.

4. Conveyor apparatus comprising a principal travelling conveyor havinghook members depending therefrom, transfer members adapted to besuspended from said hook members of said conveyo'r'for carryingarticles, a secondary veyor arranged to support and advance saidtransfer members independent of the first said conveyor, means forcontinuously advancing said secondary conveyor, means for shifting saidtransfer members in succession from said secondary conveyor to saidprincipal conveyor du'ring movement of both said conveyors, said-meanscomprising guiding means for directirf'gsa'id e611- veyors adjacent each{other to bring the path of the hook members toward the path or thetrans: fer members, and meansfor disengaging each said transfer member"from the secondary'conveyor to arrest the travelling movement of thetransfer member on the seconda'ry conveyor and to hold transfer memberssubstantially stationai in the path of movement or saldhdok meinbers toeffect engagement by a hodk member of the principal conveyor.

5. Conveyor apparatus comprising 'a trmeipal conveyor, 'a secondaryconveyor, "a plurality :of transfer members for carryin'g an article,each of which transfer membersjis interchangeably engage'able with eachconveyor so that the mem bers may be moved on either; conveyorindependently of 'thefother -co'nrn'ayor, each transfer member beingreleasably engageable with the principal conveyor at spaced points alongthe principal conveyor -ife'le'asa'bly 'erigageame with the secondaryconveyorfat any point along its length, means independent of theprincipal conveyor for driving the secondary conveydr, a first transfer"means for successively shifting "the transfer members rrem theprinc'ip'al conveyor to the secondary conveyor, the first transfer meansincluding means for guiding each transfer member into contact with thesecondary conveyor and cam means for releasing the transfer members fromsaid portion of the principal conveyor substantially at its point ofcontact with the secondary conveyor, and a second transfer means forsuccessively shifting the transfer members from the secondary conveyorto the principal conveyor, said second transfer means including meansfor disengaging each transfer member to arrest movement of the transfermember in the path of the secondary conveyor and for holding thetransfer member substantially stationary in the path of said principalconveyor to effect engagement with one of said spaced points on theprincipal conveyor.

6. Conveyor apparatus comprising a principal conveyor having dependinghook members, transfer members suspended from said hook members forcarrying articles, a secondary conveyor comprising a longitudinallymovable rubber belt to support the transfer members independently of theprincipal conveyor, each transfer member being shaped to engage aportion of the upper surface of the belt and to depend from the beltwhen the transfer members are engaged with the secondary conveyor, meansindependent of the principal conveyor for driving the secondaryconveyor, and means for shifting the transfer members successively fromthe principal conveyor to the secondary conveyor, said transfer meanscomprising means for guiding each transfer member into engagement withthe belt, and means for disengaging the hook members from the transfermember substantially simultaneously with the engagement of the transfermembers with the belt.

7. Conveyor apparatus comprising a principal conveyor having dependinghook members, transfer members suspended from said hook members forcarrying articles, a secondary conveyor comprising a longitudinallymovable rubber belt to support the transfer members independently of theprincipal conveyor, each transfer member being shaped to engage aportion of the upper surface of the belt and to depend from the beltwhen the transfer members are engaged with the secondary conveyor, meansindependent of the principal conveyor for driving the secondaryconveyor, and means for shifting the transfer members successively fromthe principal conveyor to the secondary conveyor, said transfer meanscomprising means for guiding each transfer member into engagement withthe belt, means for, disengaging the hook members from the transfermember substantially simultaneously with the engagement of the transfermembers with the belt, and means for disengaging the transfer membersfrom the belt at a fixed station in the path of movement of said memberson the belt to arrest the movement of the transfer members and dischargethe transfer member from the belt.

WALTER R. VINCENT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,153,071 Bishop Apr. 4, 1939 2,335,790 Ransburg Nov. 30, 19432,344,155 McBride et a1 Mar. 14, 1944

